Off the wire
• Roundup: U.S. envoy to S. Korea injured in knife-wielding attack, alliance feared to worsen  • China to restore frescoes of major Tibetan Buddhist monastery  • Roundup: Myanmar in bid to defuse strike tension  • Smog forcast for north, central China  • 1st LD Writethru: Aussie police seize massive drug haul  • China puts energy intensity cuts in major development goals  • Knight lifts Suns past Magic, James holds Cavs over Raptors  • Corinthians beat defending Libertadores champions San Lorenzo  • China to see spike of ODI in 2015: report  • Australia's SunSmart campaign working to reduce skin cancer prevalence  
You are here: 　 Home

LeBron overcomes another flagrant foul to lead Cavs over Raptors

Xinhua, March 5, 2015 Adjust font size:

LeBron James was the victim of another flagrant foul in Cleveland Cavaliers' 120-112 victory over Toronto Raptors in NBA action on Wednesday evening.

During the final minute of the third quarter, James drove towards the basket and was met by Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas, who wrapped his arms around the shoulders of James, dropping him to the floor.

Valanciunas immediately tried to help James up but was shoved away.

"Why would I need his help?" said James following the game. "My teammates will come to get me."

For LeBron, who finished with a game-high 29 points and 14 assists, this was the second time in four days where he was the recipient of a flagrant foul.

During Sunday's loss against Houston, LeBron was kicked in the groin by Rockets guard James Harden in the third quarter. Harden subsequently received a one-game suspension for his flagrant foul.

Cavaliers coach David Blatt is not surprised by the recent fouls LeBron has sustained due to the aggressive nature of LeBron's game.

"I don't think it's something new. It's been going on for years," said Blatt following the victory. "LeBron is so powerful and so aggressive and so strong, a lot of stuff happens to him that go either unnoticed or unaddressed. I thought tonight the refs addressed that foul properly. I'm not sure all fouls that he sustains are necessarily addressed properly."

Valanciunas was assessed a type-one flagrant foul for his action.

When asked whether responding with a hard foul ever crossed his mind, James believes that winning a game is more important than sending a message.

"You can't. We understand that the game is more important than trying to deliver a hard foul (as retaliation)," said James. "At that point we know that everyone is looking for the reaction. It's the old elementary school house rule, where the second guy always gets caught so you just relax and play the game."

James' winning-first philosophy has been embraced by his teammates during the season. Since starting the season 19-20, Cleveland have responded with an NBA-best 20-5 record since, propelling themselves into a three-way tie with Toronto and Chicago for second place in the Eastern Conference.

With 19 games remaining in the season, the 39-24 Cavs will look to continue their winning ways into the playoffs. Endi